Chamber and committees

Thank you.

I have not heard the point about bias put like that before, but I have heard about closing the bubble of information around people. That is an interesting angle.

Good morning. It has been fascinating so far. I am enthusiastic about the role that AI could play, but I understand the risks. We have touched on some of them and colleagues might wish to drill down a bit more. I am keen to know your thinking about how we can ensure that AI supports equality and addresses inequality rather than exacerbates it.

I think that Ollie Bray started with the point about how young people trust such systems because some of them use them all the time. That shows the leap that needs to be taken to allow us to use AI in the way that we have heard. Are you aware of any work going on in Education Scotland or elsewhere on inequalities and mitigating some of what you described earlier?

Thank you. Does anyone else have any understanding of work that is going on elsewhere in the system that could support development in this area?

Good morning to the witnesses. Thank you for answering the questions so far and for sending information to the committee in advance.

One of the submissions that we got was from The Promise Scotland. Fraser McKinlay, in that submission, you highlighted the need to ensure that work to deliver the Promise is well planned and carefully sequenced, and that the workforce is supported. We have covered a number of those issues today. To what extent are those things currently happening?

I will resist the temptation to ask more about the workforce, because one of my colleagues is going to do so.

You said that priorities are really important. What information has been shared with you all about the Cabinet sub-committee on the Promise since its announcement in the programme for government, and what do you think it should prioritise?

I imagine that it is both: the ability to influence a board decision and also the way in which, for example, the management of the joint committee is held and whether you consider that it needs to become independent.

Yes.

I appreciate that. You have probably heard the minister say in committee recently that she was going to treat the review of the children’s hearings system separately from consideration of the Children (Care and Justice) (Scotland) Bill. Do you think that that is the right decision?